The threat of violence is more suspenseful than violence itself; the creature sensed around the corner is more frightening than the monster seen in slow-moving, exact detail; and the long passage of time, which the film tries to suggest with its journey, doesn�t necessarily mean a long time for the audience. There are too many choral interludes and Romantic strings on Howard Shore�s overwrought soundtrack when silence would have functioned better (odd, considering how his mellow score for �The Silence of the Lambs� was so creepily effective). Creating the impression that someone is a �bad-ass,� through looks, hints, and expression, is more effective than actually seeing him fight. My heart sank when I heard that Yoda is going to fight in the next �Star Wars� film; unless Yoda�s enemies keel over stone dead when he glances at them, nothing George Lucas puts on the screen can match the awe of Yoda�s unseen potential.
I�m tempted to award �Fellowship� another half-star based on its performances, scope, and sheer energy, but then I am reminded of how it almost became a video game: the characters need to get from Point A to Point B, they fight things along the way, they pick up Power-Ups at Point B and learn they must go on to Point C, where more vicious enemies await, and the process repeats. I would have preferred the story dial turned up, while dialing down on the action, effects, and music. �The Fellowship of the Rings� is like listening to a good song on the stereo of an overactive teenager, who has the bass all the way up and the treble all the way down. The song is still good, but I would have been more pleased if the levels were different.
P.S. �The Lord of the Rings� trilogy now holds the record for longest principal photography, because all three films were shot at the same time to make a more efficient use of sets and resources. The previous holder of this record is Stanley Kubrick�s �Eyes Wide Shut� from 1999, which shot for something like 400 days. Out of respect for Kubrick�s almost crazed genius, I feel this should be mentioned alongside any comment of �Rings�� extreme shooting schedule.
Finished May 12, 2002
Copyright 2002 Friday & Saturday Night